Second winter signing makes his mark

When Louis Saha netted twice on his Spurs debut in the 5-0 win over Newcastle he went some way towards silencing the critics who had expressed their surprise at Tottenham’s late transfer window move for the Everton striker.

On Sunday it was Ryan Nelsen’s turn to make his first start for the club and his display in the 0-0 draw at Stevenage drew praise from his defensive partner Michael Dawson.

“I thought Ryan was fantastic,” said Dawson after the game.

“We changed the formation a little, played myself, Younes and Ryan, he played in the middle and he was outstanding.

“He won everything in the air, was strong and played really well. He showed all his experience in what was a real test for us against a big, physical team.”

The club website also lauds his debut saying that he won every aerial challenge and didn’t put a foot wrong. He may not have been the stellar signing that we’d been hoping for but maybe Ryan Nelsen is a useful squad member after all.